Rachel tapped on guest bedroom door, “Todd, are you in there?” Hearing nothing, she knocked harder before opening. “Gah! It smells like a sixteen-year-old’s lair.”
In the three weeks since their son moved back in, it felt as though he had regressed all the way out of adulthood. Knowing he was going through a rough patch, what with being laid off and the divorce, didn’t make him easier to live with. Rachel tamped down on her annoyance at the changes to their quiet lives; in their fifties, she and Rob were comfortable. Neither his hair loss and her silver streaks nor the extra pounds they both carried were problems to their marriage, but she wasn’t so sure about the impact Todd would have.
With the curtains drawn, the sole light source in the room came from the open laptop on the desk. Flipping on the ceiling light revealed the unmade bed, crumpled clothes and dirty dishes. It was the latter that drew Rachel in; she had a hatred of bugs inside the house. Bending to pick up a stack of bowls, she vowed that this time Rob would set some boundaries with their son, since Todd clearly wasn’t listening to her. Unnoticed on the laptop, the words SYSTEM INITIALIZING appeared, followed by a bright flash of light and the rattle of falling dishes.
Ten minutes later, a man wearing only a towel approached the open door, frowning as he glanced at the ceiling light. His eye went to the words now displayed, SYSTEM COMMENCED. “No, no, no, no!”
Meanwhile, somewhere else:
Rachel gasped as her surroundings changed in an instant; instead of the fusty bedroom, she stood in a pale-gray room, about 10 feet by 10 feet, with no obvious light source. The temperature was a little too warm for comfort and there was a odd smell, like an unfamiliar spice. Turning revealed no exits.
A high-pitched tone sounded and a screen appeared on the wall, accompanied by a flat voice, “Welcome to the Human Trial Version 3. Choose your class to begin.”
Rachel stepped closer to the wall until the words displayed were in focus: Warrior, Wizard, Healer, Thief. “What is this? Some game? No, I don’t want to play. Take me home.”
The flat voice, sounding computer-generated replied, “Error. Confirmed acceptance received. Choose your class to begin.”
“No! I didn’t accept anything. I don’t know what this is about; just take me home.” Rachel could feel her anxiety rising.
“Error. Confirm identity: Todd Baris.”
“My name is Rachel Baris. I’m Todd’s mother. Is he here, too? What are you claiming he agreed to? I don’t know anything about this.” A jolt of fear shot through her at the thought that her son had been abducted and that’s why he wasn’t in his room. Although the cynical voice in the back of her head suggested whatever was going on was probably his fault.
The screen on the wall blinked out, leaving her in the empty room again. Calling out brought no response so she tried pushing and tapping where the screen had been. As far as she could tell, there was no difference between it and the other walls. Pacing, shouting and pounding on the walls proved to be pointless and finally she sank down in a corner, numb with worry. Time passed, although how much was difficult to say with nothing to measure against, and she began talking to herself, “Lunch would be good. A toilet would be better. What do I have to work with? Slip-on shoes, no laces, no socks, jeans, empty pockets, t-shirt, wedding ring, small hoop earrings.” She sighed and closed her eyes.
A hissing noise startled Rachel out of an uncomfortable doze and she saw an opening had appeared in the wall across from her. Her joints, stiff and unhappy, cracked as she stumbled through the doorway to discover a room with a toilet. While a few more amenities would have been nice, such as a sink or anything like toilet paper, her bladder overruled any objections.
Returning to the original room, her brief hopes for other changes were dashed. Even worse, the hissing noise behind her marked the disappearance of the sole opening. Then, before she resigned herself back to the corner, a different voice spoke. “Rachel Baris, do you affirm that you did not willingly usurp the contracted Todd Baris’ place in the System trial?”
Rachel frowned at the formality of the question, something about it made her choose her response cautiously. “Correct. I did not choose this. I do not accept this. I request an immediate return to my home.”
A curious whistling sigh followed her statement. “Well, kleptizk. We have a problem. Did your progeny provide any data on the undertaking it signed up for?”
“What? Data? Oh, you mean did Todd tell me anything about this contract; no, nothing at all. Why can’t I go back?”
“There was a short time when it was possible to collect the participants. The next alignment doesn’t happen for five of your orbits.”
“Five days? It’s inconvenient, but not terrible. What will…”
The voice interrupted, “Not five days, five years.”
“Years!” Her voice went higher as the implications seeped in. “Wait a minute. My son was leaving for five years without saying anything? Why would he do that?”
A distinctly dry tone replied, “There was a substantial payment involved.”
“Which he wouldn’t have and couldn’t spend for five years!”
“Paid in advance.”
Her mouth opened and closed silently for a few moments, lending Rachel a fish-like appearance if anyone observing had been in a humorous mood. Tears leaked as exasperation, confusion and fear warred inside her; dashing them off her cheeks, she let anger overrule the other emotions. “What now? Do I spend years in this room until I go mad? How did this happen?”
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“This returns us to our problem. There are strict legal requirements and procedures on both sides; all of which were carefully explained and signed off on by each participant. The first of which was to make the transition from a secure, isolated location. This situation is unprecedented.” A whistling hitch in the last word hinted at someone under extreme stress, which oddly made Rachel feel a bond with the speaker who was apparently also dealing with her son’s poor choices. “I shall attempt to explain what I am able in the time available.
“You are no longer on your home planet. The background: there exists what are known as Systems. Most don’t learn about these until a System discovers and integrates their planet. At one time these integrations were always immediate and overwhelming; often resulting in large loss of life or even the destruction of the entire planet. Then, one species developed a way to communicate in a rudimentary fashion with our System. Now, we work with the System to ease the transition of new species.
“Once a planet with sentient life is discovered, integration is inevitable. A successful integration is almost always a decided improvement for the species in question. These trials are how we learn what will work best for your species. This process has been developed through centuries of cooperation and can not be altered without putting your entire planet at risk.”
“Wait. So it’s not a trial to pass judgment on humanity?”
“Not at all. The trials test various iterations of the System on a sample of human volunteers to find which is the most efficacious. In the early times, trials were completely random, but now experience allows the trials to be narrowed down to those most likely to work well with your species.
“As for you personally, it is physically impossible to return you to your home at this time. Remaining in this facility is not an option; the trial process is strictly structured and this room will shut down at the designated time. You would be ejected, possibly fatally.
“Your only chance is to enter the trial world and make a successful transition into the System. Because you were put in this situation through neither choice nor fault, I am duty-bound to do everything possible to get you through this and safely home again.
“Now, remembering that time is short and we have a lot to do, what immediate questions do you have?”
Rachel’s head was spinning with questions; the obvious being what exactly is a System and what did it gain from taking over planets? Controlling the urge to understand the why behind it all, she set aside philosophical matters for the urgent need to survive. “What will happen during the trial? And what makes an integration successful?”
“The basic integration will happen here and continue to adapt to you during your time on the trial planet. This planet and it’s inhabitants are already part of the System and have hosted many trials before. Basically, you will make choices and gain experience, which the System uses to measure your integration. Your progress will make survival easier as you become stronger and more capable. I have been informed that the process is remarkably similar to games that are popular with humans.
“Because you are not a contracted participant, your starting placement will be carefully chosen to help your growth. You will not be close to the other humans.”
“What? Why not? Wouldn’t it be safer to work together?”
A harsh clicking noise filled the air, causing the hairs on the back of Rachel’s neck to rise. When the voice spoke again it was heavy with warning, “No! Most of the others from your planet have joined because they want the opportunity to live one of their games. In my experience, they will begin as violently as possible looking for fast growth. You would be a target to most and a danger to those who would want to protect you as a mother substitute.”
“I’m going to be all alone trying to figure this out on an alien planet? I never wanted to play this kind of game even in the safety of my home.”
“We have found a remote tribe to place you with. There are not any rich resources to tempt the other humans to make the journey to this region while still being wild enough to offer you experience. I wanted to provide a companion as well, but have not been able to locate one that fits within the confines of a trial.”
“How will I communicate with the tribe? And will I still be able to talk to you?”
“Your integration will give you a translation effect; it is the same ability that enables me to communicate with you.”
“Great, I’ll get to sound like a stuffy professor too,” she muttered under her breath.
“As for the other question, I …will see what can be done. Given your physical limitations, I have selected Wizard for your class. That will keep you out of direct danger as much as possible. Now, we will remove the shield around your space and expose you to the System. I suggest you lie down to prevent injury.”
“What the hell!” Rachel hurried to a prone position on the floor, closing her eyes instinctively and bracing for something, anything. As minutes passed with no scary changes, clenched muscles began to relax and she found herself paying attention to her body. The empty stomach was the most vocal complainant, which she acknowledged and moved past, sharp pain in the lower back was likely due to sleeping in the corner, while the constant ache in the hip joint was that old enemy, arthritis.
Just as she wondered if it was safe to get back up, that odd spicy odor spiked into an overpowering stench, causing her to gasp; not the best reaction under the circumstances. Rolling onto her side, coughing and gagging, a thousand needles of agony lashed into her brain. Struggling to breathe, tears streaming and clutching her head, a black curtain mercifully descended and let her escape into unconsciousness.
Ktikikt turned away from the monitor; all they could do now was wait. With a gesture the supporting bench seamlessly retracted into the floor and they rose to their full three meter height. An impressive sight, but one that would likely cause nightmares for Rachel. Burgundy colored chitin covered abdomen and thorax, while the limbs and head were scarlet. Four base legs, four mid legs and four arms suggested a species designed for multi-tasking. The thirty members of their team represented a wide range of clans as shown by the different colors throughout the control room.
Approaching the youngest one present, whose pink appendages and rose-colored body indicated they were part of Ktikikt’s clan, “How are your charges? Have they all exited the tutorial rooms?”
“Yes, Grand. But I have already lost one to an ambush by another human.”
“It is expected. Some species refuse to cooperate for the greater advantage.”
“If only they didn’t receive experience for killing their own!”
“It is as the System requires. If they only comply because there is no temptation, then the trial has failed its function.”
“And what function is served by punishing us for the actions of one human?”
Ktikikt studied the trembling youth with compassion. “It …” A loud, discordant tone interrupted all activity in the room.
“System Update: Participant Rachel Baris has been accelerated to compensate for Trial errors. Base Class assigned Healer. Secondary Class assigned Assassin. Companion assigned Ket. Creature Companion available. Level 10.”
Ket looked up at their clan senior in alarm, “What?”